MagiNation: Wings of Adventure
by 123-Kitsune
Summary: Leoric is an Arderian thief, one of the best in the business. But when a job does not go as planned, he is captured and forced to atone for his crimes.
1. Chapter 1

-1 **Magi-Nation: Wings of Adventure **

** Chapter 1: Ill Gotten Gains**

_Easy, Easy does it,_ Leoric thought as he aimed his grapple at the window of house that he had been watching for most of the night.

The hour was late in the Weave, so no one heard the relic fire, nor did they see the projectile fly through the open window and land on the thickly carpet floor with a muted thud.

The Arderial waited with bated breath until he was sure that no alarm would be raised. He then took a small talisman from his pouch and slid into a slot at the base of the relic, resting his thumb against the small shard of emerald green animite and channeled a small portion of energy in to it, and watched as a tiny comet of power flowed along the grapple cable and into the chamber were the animite ring embedded in the head would magine a Winged Hinko.

Once it had materialized, the small dream creature wandered about the room until it had located its target, an ornate box set upon a wicker dresser. Prying off the lid, the Winged Hinko rummaged through the contents until it had found what it had been sent to find, a heavy ring set with a sky blue shard of animite and etched with the images of draconic creatures, Hyrens.

The Hinko lugged it from the box and dumped it into the claw and the tines snapped shut, and the talisman at the base the grapnel pulsed. Knowing this as a sign of success the Arderial turned the crank, and the cable retracted until the head became snagged on something near the windowsill.

He gave the thing a tug and a thread strung across the window, gleamed in the light of El. From inside the room the Hinko screeched as it became tangled within the thread.

Leoric felt a bolt of fear fly through him as he came to an obvious realization.

_This isn't thread, it's webbing_,' he thought as stream of the stuff shot towards him. He dodged it, leaping from the roof, his momentum freeing his prize. He tapped the ring and sent the Hinko back to the dream plane and out of the reach of the angry Tillant that emerged from its hiding place upon the roof.

The Arderial spread his guard wings as he spotted two more of the creature lurking upon a web strung out between the two buildings, he fished another ring out of his pouch and magined a Xyx. The dream creature drifted down towards them, unleashing bolts of lightning until the two dream creatures fell from sight, trapped within the tangled remains of their own web.

The commotion awoke the townsfolk, and Leoric smirked, even if they magined dream creatures capable of flight, they could never catch up on him, not before he crossed the boarder into Naroom.

However, in his over confidence he neglected to see an auburn haired Weaver crouching at the base of one of the Weaves mammoth blades of grass. Power flowed from her hands and into the plant, which bent itself over until its tip touched the ground.

As the Arderial flew overhead she removed her hands and the plant shot upright, striking Leoric in back and sending him plummeting down to land in the soft loamy soil. Before conciousness left him, the last thing he saw was the Hyren ring gleaming upon his finger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Leash**

Nadeshiko yawned as she hurried towards the dome shaped building that served as the town's prison.

It's to early to be up, she thought glaring up at the crescent of El, and then muffed another yawn with her hand.

The prisoner, an Arderial male with short grey hair, violet eyes, and clad in dark blue leather armor had been quite since his incarnation, the only rings he had on him were those that could summon small but agile dream creatures, perfect for his line of work.

The town militia had confiscated these, along with his Guard Wings, a peculiar grapple and a modified Boom Stick.

The one object they couldn't take was the Hyren ring, trying everything except removing his finger, something the Elder had expressively forbid them to do, and that was not the only surprising request he had made in regards to the prisoner.

Leoric had come to with a splitting head ache, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the blow to his ego. In the guildhalls where he had learned his craft, the fates of thieves caused more nightmares then the Core. Stories of dank cells, torture chambers, and pits swarming with horrors magined from the dream plane were told and retold until the youngsters sharpened the skills to the point were they could past the initiation and become a true member of the Thieves Guild.

However, outside the guild house walls he had found the truth to be different. He'd had his share of battles, against guardsmen, backstabbing clients, and vengeful marks.

But never before had he found himself in a situation such as this. Although he had to admit, the cell was not oppressive, with its bed, basin and a window cover with some sort of tough, transparent membrane. He figured that the only prisoners here were the drunk and disorderly kind.

The door to cell opened, heralding the approach of a pair of guardsmen clad in wicker armor and each armed with a mace.

Behind them stood female weave magi with long auburn hair, and gold eyes. As opposed to Leoric's pale complexion, hers possessed a slight tan, and she wore a pale blue blouse and trousers.

'Good morning prisoner, I am Nadeshiko, a servant of the town council here in Tabi,' she announced striding past the guards to stand before him.

The Arderial rose to his feet, and the guards tightened their grip upon their weapons, as he stretched and offered her his hand.

'My name is Leoric,' he replied with a smirk as Nadeshiko pointedly ignored his gesture and glared daggers at him.

'I'm glad that you find this all so amusing,' she sneered, 'for up to this point you were the shining star of the Arderial Chapter of the Thieves Guild. It is my understanding that as a highly placed member you possess information that makes you a liability.'

'What!' Leoric croaked staring at her in disbelief, 'how could you know that?'

It was Nadeshiko's turn to smirk, 'we have our ways, however, all is not lost,' she said as one of the guardsmen handed her a flat box.

'The Weave has not survived attacks by Shadow Magi, and Calders to be stripped of its wealth by thieves,' she announced opening the box and thrusting it towards Leoric.

Before Leoric could react a mass of steel tendrils erupted from the box and wrapped them selves about his neck. He would have resisted but at their touch his thoughts seemed to scatter and sink beneath a grass green haze.

Nadeshiko watched shocked as the Bonding Collar emerged from the box, a mass of hair thin tendrils, and in the middle a medallion shaped like a four pointed star and set with grass green gem. The tendrils wrapped themselves about the males' neck weaving them selves into a tight band while the medallion rested snugly against his throat.

Leoric shuddered as the gem blazed with a light of its own, he would have fallen to his knees if Nadeshiko had chosen to catch him.

She placed him on the bed and sought out the box. Within it she found a small bracelet set with a gem and designed that were identical to those on the collar.

As she slipped it onto her wrist, Leoric came to his senses.

'So that's how it is in the Weave now.' he said sharply.

'Yeah,' she said unable to meet his gaze, 'that's how it is.'

After the incident in the cell, Leoric was released into Nadeshiko's custody and the Weave magi led him to a building near the center of town. Like the prison it was dome shaped, but had the appearance of being built from green hued wicker.

The interior was spacious with a vaulted ceiling; however, he was surprised to see that all it contained was a rough circle of chairs surrounding a pool of reflective liquid.

A lone Weaver sat in one of the chairs, his skin was brown as a nut and clad in light green robes of office. He looked up from the pond as they approached.

' Greetings young man,' he said gesturing for both of them to be seated, ' My name is Welg, and I see from the look in your eye that you have many questions, and considering our actions it is only fair that we answer them.'

'Fair enough,' Leoric said, 'what do you intend to do with me?'

'Rather then send off to a labor camp in Kybar's Teeth, or mine in the Underneath, we have decided to recruit you to aid us in defending the Weave.' Welg replied, 'However you will be sent to deal with any typical foe. Sometimes you may be called on to fight Shadow magi, sometimes you may be sent to other realms to acquire relics for either safe keeping or destruction.'

'In short, you're turning me into your errand boy,' Leoric said and glanced toward Nadeshiko, 'what is her part in all this?'

Welg pointed at the bracelet.

'Think of her as your handler, through that relic she can remain in contact with you, track your whereabouts or as you experienced in the cell, stop you in your tracks,' he said, ' have you any further questions?

Leoric held up the Hyren ring.

'Just one,' he said, ' why couldn't I use this?

Welg chuckled, 'Simple, my boy,' he said slowly rising from his seat, and to Leoric's disbelief was able to remove the ring from his finger, ' it is fake.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Heading Out**

After the meeting with Welg, Nadeshiko led Leoric over to a small house that would serve as his residence. Once inside he found that his gear, including his rings had been returned to him.

He took each one from the pouch and gave it a polish, only stopping when two unfamiliar rings tumbled out.

The surface of one was etched with sinuous patterns; the other had its shard of animite set between a pair of wings. Curious he slipped them on and magined, taking a quick step back when a Flugg and a Herbadan appeared.

The Flugg resembled a large hairy caterpillar with a crown of horns, while the Herbadan resembled a winged unicorn with a long flowing mane and tail of grass blades.

' I guess they want me to familiarize myself with their creatures he thought, undreaming the pair and returning to his cleaning.

Nadeshiko sat in the council chamber along with Welg, observing Leoric through the Silver Pond.

' So now that we have agent, what is his first task going to be?' she asked.

' Well I'm not going to get him needlessly killed, if that is what you are implying.' Welg retorted, ' I'm sending the pair of you to the town of Russet Frond.

'The town on the Dreshi boarder?' she asked, ' Why send us there?'

Welg handed her a small box filled with green filaments, each one was tipped with a small glowing seed.

'Russet Frond oversees the Glimmer Moss Farms in that area,' he said, ' recently they've come under attack by a band of resourceful brigands who have staged a string of successful raids against the wagon trains.'

Nadeshiko ran the tip of her finger through the moss.

' Could they be Shadow Magi?' She asked, 'Glimmer Moss is chief ingredient in healing and rejuvenation potions, could they be gathering supplies for another attack?'

Welg left his chair and began to pace about the room.

'You have a point, 'he said, 'If the Core were looking to re-supply prior to an assault, it would only be logical to assume that they would seek disputable people to help them.'

' We must investigate, and sever this potential line of supplies to the Core.'

Nadeshiko rose from her seat.

'Very well, we shall leave tomorrow,' she said, ' but what shall I tell Leoric.'

'Tell him what I've told you, 'he said frowning, ' we need him to trust us, or we will fail before we've even started.'

Shivering her Herbadan's saddel, Nadeshiko wrapped her cloak about her tightly in vain attempt to stave off the chill touch of the night air.

' I don't believe you woke me up this early,' she snarled, ' the sun hasn't even risen yet!'

Leoric smirked, ' I know. He said, ' but if we arrive and secure lodgings before the populace arises we have a better chance to blend in.'

Nadeshiko glance down at the nightscape below. Even in the pale light of El she could see barren clearings amongst the blades of grass, and these were becoming more common the closer they traveled to the boarder, and in the cold light she caught sight of a small group of misshapen creatures cavorting in one of them, and quickly looked away.

'I've never been to Russet Frond before, ' she said, ' have you?'

'I've been there once or twice,' Leoric replied with a shrug, ' you could call it a melting pot for the realms of Weave, Kybar's Teeth and The Sands of Dresh. It's a rough place, and you're better off not wandering around alone outside town or you might run into a pack of Olem Fiends.'

' Oh, great,' Nadeshiko murmured, her face paling, and not from the cold, as she buried it in her mounts long flowing mane.

However, a horrific screech rent the night air, causing her to bolt upright.

'What is that? She yelped as they both turned to see a large shadowy creature. As it dove towards El's light revealed it to be a dream creature that was humanoid with vulture-like head, had large feathered wings growing out of its back, and right arm that resembled a mantis's forelimb with a wickedly sharp, curved claw.

'Damn, a Grim Shryque,' Leoric hissed, ' we'd-

Whatever Leoric said was drowned out as the pursuing dream creature threw its head back and uttered a blood-curdling shriek.'

Both Leoric and Nadeshiko gasped in pain, their lungs felt as if they were being pumped full of freezing air, turning their blood into ice.


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4: Hunters & Hunted**

Vriss watched as the two magi plummeted from the sky, striking numerous blade of grass on the way down as the giant plants strove to brake their fall, while others swatted at the Grim Shryque circling above.

The dream creature slashed at the grass and dove in pursuit, the Kybarite hoped that it remembered its orders.

As they descended closer to the earth, Leoric and Nadeshiko found that they could breathe freely once again. They landed upon a trio of grass blades that had stretched themselves out beneath them, and then leapt to the ground, seeking shelter amongst the undergrowth.

'I didn't think that the guild would learn of my fate so soon,' he mused.

Nadeshiko punched him on the arm.

'We never contacted them,' she hissed.

'Figured that much out for myself.' he replied as the dream creature flew overhead, 'I have an idea, but we are going to have to work together.'

Nadeshiko glanced up as the dream creature made another pass.

'I'm game,' she said.

Vriss swore vehemently, through the link created by the animite ring he could sense the Grim Shryque's frustration, and then spotted the dream creature as it soared above the Weave.

In the dawn light he could see the Grim Shryque being circled by two more dream creatures, one being a Herbadan, the other ; a Yarothis.

As he watched, the Herbadan dove from above and collided with the Grim Shryque, slamming the dream creature against the stone hard shell of the Yarothis, and vanished with a burst of light.

Falling for the hammer and anvil routine, what a waste of animite, he thought ruefully as he watched Leoric and Nadeshiko take to the air,' they got lucky this time, but next time I shall win.'

Leoric and Nadeshiko arrived in Russet Frond just as the sun cleared the horizon. They went to the nearest inn which was situated nearby. It was woven from autumn red blades of grass, into the shape of a large tower.

Once in their room, Leoric sat on the edge of his bed and tried to think of what to do next. Using guild contacts was not an option, but he was certain that the few he had forged on his own still dwelt within the region, he would contact the after a brief respite.

The morning sun beat down upon Vriss as he wandered Russet Fronds back alleys. Three of the guilds chapters had safe houses here, and he had to avoid detection by their sentries; both magi and dream creature.

The reason for this being the despite the old adage, honor amongst thieves did not include those outside their immediate circle, and especially not to individuals like himself.

Vriss maneuvered himself behind a stack of barrels as a small group of Dreshi magi wandered past, and then made a dash for the relative safety of a single story building which had stone walls and a thatched roof, indistinguishable from the rows of buildings around it.

The door opened at his touch and once inside it closed and self locked, with lamps along the walls bursting into flame and wreathing the room in a ruddy light.

The interior of the chamber resembled an armory that would have put even the store houses of the Core to shame.

The walls were lined with strong boxes containing rings of every dream creature that existed, and many more that were designed and shaped by the guilds own Ring smiths and Dream weavers.

Vriss approach one and trailed his finger across the labels until he found the rings he wanted, removing them from their settings, and leaving a pouch of infused animite in their place, reflecting that a wise man always pays his debts before they're even noticed. He also hoped that his contacts would recall that too, for debt collecting could be so tiresome sometimes.

Nadeshiko gazed down at the pile of clothing that Leoric had brought her.

'A disguise?' she asked.

'After the attack in Weave we can't be too careful, and besides remember what I said about blending in?' the Arderial replied, 'get changed and after breakfast we will go talk with a friend of mine.'

It was only mid morning and the sun was blazing ball of fire in the sky, but clad in the garments of green Dreshi silk Nadeshiko found that she could enjoy the warmth. Leoric still wore his leather armor, but hardly seemed out of place amongst the dozens of sell swords and wanders that prowled the bustling streets.

He led her to an outdoor café sheltering under a large pale brown pavilion.

Taking their seats were the shade was best , it was not after that they were approached by a Dreshi male clad in garments that seemed to be made from the same material as the pavilion and sported some impressive scars upon his muscular chest.. He wore turbine of the same material and upon both sides of his head he had a row of scales that started behind his ears and swept up to frame his eyes.

Upon seeing Leoric, the imposing magi swept him up in a powerful bear hug that left him gasping for air.

'It is good to see you again, Jahari,' he wheezed, and nodded toward the Weaver magi, 'this is Nadeshiko.'

'A pleasure to meet you,' he said stooping down to kiss the back of her hand, 'I see that the garments Leoric acquired from my stores weren't wasted, for you wear them well.'

The Arderian smirked as Nadeshiko's cheeks turned bright red.

'Well, I am glad you're getting along, but how about we get down to business?' He said.

Jahari gestured for them to be seated.

'I am always ready for business,' He replied with an eager glean in his eye, 'now what do you want of me?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Speculation & Secrets**

Jahari led the pair to a table at the back of the pavilion.

'We can talk here,' he said, 'however, I really don't know what possessed you to come back here of all places.

Leoric smiled and shrugged, 'what can I say, it's the closest place I ever had to a home,' he said leaning back in the chair with his hands behind his head, 'besides I really didn't have much of a choice.'

Jahari spied the Bonding Collar.

'I see you got baited, though, looking at you captor here I really don't see how you can complain.'

'Oh he doesn't…much,' Nadeshiko replied, 'but that entire aside, what can you tell us about the Jewel Moss thefts?'

Jahari poured out some water and offered them each a cup.

' Whomever they are, they're keeping most of their operation out in the Weave, while receiving orders from an individual playing the middle man here in town, who in turn is receiving his orders from someone else.' The Dreshi then mused, 'either that or he is pulling the strings and is good at avoiding suspicion.'

'This is all just speculation,' Leoric said.

'That is what a lot of investigation is,' Nadeshiko replied, 'and stop me if I'm wrong but if these people are not connected with the Thieves Guild, they have to be double careful, otherwise they would be killed or forcefully tithed for encroaching on their territory.'

Leoric toyed with his cup, 'yes that is how it works,' he said absently, 'one has to wonder what they want with so much of the stuff?'

The dry grass rustled as the Weaver shouldered his way through it, towards a pit dug deep in the sandy soil.

Within the pit was a large cauldron resting over a bed of white hot coal, kept as its constant temperatures by a pack of Coal Weebos that swarmed around it.

As the magi watched, another load of the sparkling moss was dumped into the pot and rapidly dissolved into thick ooze. This continued until the cauldron was in danger of overflowing, the lid was clamped into place. The cauldron was then hauled out of the pit while another took its place.

As the new cauldron was being lowered into place he thought to ask; 'how many does that make?'

A Dreshi with spiral scale pattern on the top of her head glanced at him.

'This will be the twentieth, Ardriss,' she replied as she absently slapped the clip board against her leg, 'why are you here, do we have new orders?'

'Yes Shazeen, I've received word that another shipment is due to leave Russet Frond soon,' he replied holding his hand out for the clipboard and began to leaf through the pages, 'there has also been a development regarding the Thieves Guild, as one of their Excise Men has been spotted in town.'

Shazeens' violet eyes widened, 'Is the Guild aware of us?'

'No, they seem to be searching for someone else,' He replied handing back the clipboard, 'Contact Ra'Zark in Kybarite Chapter and see if he can find out what they're up to.'

The afternoon sun cast dappled shadows over the wagon train as it traveled upon a path that ran along the shore of a shallow river winding its way through the Weave.

Their destination was a trading station on the Weave/Naroom boarder and Leoric and Nadeshiko had gotten permission from the wagon master to ride along.

The sun and the gentle motions of the Furok pulling the wagons threatened to lull them to sleep, and would have succeeded if not for the commotion in the grass, as a mushroom-like creature bourn aloft by large gas filled bladders at the ends of its four tendrils floated down from above.

'Balloon Weebo!' Leoric hollered as he scooped up Nadeshiko and threw her into a pile of moss and dove in after her as the dream creature swelled up and the exploded into a cloud of sleeping spores.

They had been able to take shelter in time, unlike many of the wagon train who fell victim to the spores and slumbered where they had fallen as groups of magi emerged from the thick growth, magining a hoard of Olem Fiends to subdue those still awake.

Their hideaway was also uncovered, and the pair soon found themselves joining the others in huddle between the wagons and the river as the footsteps of something huge shook the path.

'Just how are they going to move all of this produce with the wagons wreaked? Nadeshiko asked.

Leoric turned in the direction of the footsteps; 'I think we're going to find out,' he said grimly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Withered Roots**

Leoric and Nadeshiko looked on, amazed as the Colossus stomped into the clearing. The large machine-like dream creature had a long cylindrical container attached to its back, and into it went the contents of each wagon. The emptied wagons where cast into the Weave while most of their owners slumbered in their bonds.

Once the dream creature had gathered up all of the remaining moss the pair, along with the wagon crews were scooped up into a cage the hung from the side of the pack. Once they were all imprisoned, the raiders were placed onto the observation platform on top of its head and it then began the slow ponderous journey back to its master's camp.

Ardriss was wandering amongst a thick grove of oddly shaped plants as magi bustled about him pouring thick grey ooze on to their roots which pulsed as the fluid within the plants large bulbous bodies bubbled and fizzed. Within the depths of each pod, an indistinct shape was slowly forming.

At the sound of the Colossus's approach he left the grove and watched as the dream creature slid the silo from its shoulders and placed it next to the others. Shazeen approached.

'The grove is spreading, as you predicted it would,' she said, ' the lava pools the Calders left in their wake when they invaded our realm to hunt for shadow magi have proven themselves to be most useful in hastening the gestation process.'

Ardriss nodded and gave the near pod an affectionate pat.

'Once this lot has ripened we shall have enough to begin the second phase of our mistresses' plan,' he replied.

Leoric watched as the bandits began to herd the wagon crews from the cage, the wagon master caught his eye and winked as he and his staff suddenly surged forward jostling the guards, diverting their attention away from the pair who quickly made their escape.

They took shelter behind a small cluster of huts. The bandits in the area were far too busy dumping coal in the fire pits to notice them.

Nadeshiko looked at him in disbelief.

'I did not believe that that would work,' she said, 'won't some of them think that we have abandoned them?'

The Arderian shrugged, ' they know why we were traveling with them, ' he said, ' and while they won't like it, they also know that it wouldn't make sense for us to be captured along with them, their captors are not shadow magi, so there is little risk of them being turned.'

Nadeshiko turned her gaze to the vista before them.

'This isn't what I expected,' she mused, 'I thought they were shipping off somewhere else, not taking it for their own use.'

'Is it a normal practice to boil it up like this?' he asked.

'No, generally only the seeds are used in brewing of healing potions, boiling the whole plant is how they create fertilizer.' she replied, watching the procedure with great fascination, ' a very potent one too, which I heard was used to aid in the restoration of Naroom after the shadow magi were driven out.'

Leoric regarded the cauldron and is boiling contents, 'so a potion that either help cure the land or its populace,' he said, 'but what do these guys want with it?'

Shazeen watched the two intruders leave the storage huts and make their way towards the grove. As she left her own hiding place to follow them she alerted her fellow bandits as she past them by until she had a reasonably large mob encircling the area.

Leoric stared up at the massive narrow pod whose base was hidden beneath a mound of thorny roots.

'Is this species native to the Weave?' he asked eyeing the network of pulsating veins that laced the surface.

Nadeshiko shook her head, ' No, they're not plants, they are a type dream creature called Dream Forges,' she replied, ' they could be grown and nurtured like normal plants and magi of the Weave, Naroom and Paradwyn did so because under certain conditions they could spawn entirely new species of dream creatures. However, the practice of breeding them ceased decades ago.'

'Why?' Leoric asked

'Because the other realms feared that the balance of power would shift in the favor of those realms,' Ardriss said, emerging from the shadows, 'or truth be told, they feared that the Core would corrupt and use the Dream Forges to spawn an army.'

Both magi glared at the Weaver warily. Behind him they could see some of his fellow bandits follow him, while others gathered around the edges of the grove.

'Who might you be?' Leoric asked.

The bandit smirked, 'I am Ardriss, 'he said and spread his arm wide, 'we are the Withered Roots, and you are now our guests.

At that Leoric tensed glanced around at Ardriss followers and mentally kicked himself, not only had he allowed himself to walk straight into an ambush, he gotten Nadeshiko trapped as well.

Seeing no choice for the moment, both magi raised their hands, the bandits surging forth to strip them of their rings.

Shazeen watched as the pair were shackled together, and then turned to Ardriss.

'What do you want done with them, throw them in with the others? She asked.

'No, put them with our other guest. The last thing we need is for them to forment rebellion amongst the prisoners, not that they'd have any success anyway.' He said turning his attention back to the pods, 'it is almost time for them to bloom, have the men bring out the final dose of our special mixture.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Unlikely Assistance**

Vriss winged his way over the Weave on the back of a Cragadan; the powerful winged horse dream creature flew with ease through the warm afternoon air.

He was following the path the caravan had taken when he chanced upon its remains and bade his mount to land, and as it did so, he could help but notice that he was not the only one who had come to pick through the wreckage, and his approach caused some concern amongst the scavengers who had been squabbling over the choicest leftovers.

Vriss strode towards them as they ceased their labors to pay attention to the newcomer, the lesser ranked of their numbers being forced to form a barrier around their more intimidated brethren, and he smirked as their actions brought memories of his recent meeting with Jahari to mind.

Perhaps noticing that he was not backing down from this display of combined might, a corpulent Underling pushed his way through the crowd to confront him. Flanked by a pair of Crystal Jiles that snarled and bared their fangs.

'Calm your cats shroomhead, I've only come to see what happened,' he said.

'And to see what you can steal,' the Underling retorted as Vriss's indignant glare was reflected in the goggles the fat magi wore, ' you haven't been the first to come looking for scraps and until we leave you won't be the last we drive off!'

'I didn't come here to fight, I am searching for a couple of magi that were traveling with the wagons,' he said using a voice trick that had in the past, ensured that cornered debtors didn't do anything stupid, ' all I'm going to do is search for clues, nothing more.'

The Underling nodded, and waved the others away from the wreckage as he waded into the jumbled mess and started the sifting through the mess.

Much to their credit the scavengers stayed out of the way, enabling him to hasten his search, he even tossed out any trinkets he found to reward their patience until he found a tuft of Jewel Moss snagged on a shattered axle.

Tearing it free he the raised a hand and whispered, 'Path of Moonlight,' and a small flickering orb of silver light appeared. He then dropped the moss into the orb which flickered and drifted off into the Weave.

Leaping onto the Cragdan's back he urged it into the air and after the orb which practically lead him in a straight line over, a terrain that would have been impassible on foot.

He flew over ground riddled with deep chasms, expansive mire and steep rocky hills. Once he had cleared those the ground flattened and he soon came upon the bandits' camp. He urged the Cragadan down for a closer look and chanced upon a pair of familiar magi being escorted towards a fortified structure that resembled a layered tower woven from out of the grass blades that towered over head.

'Well, it would seem that fortune is kind,' he mused as he urged the dream creature into a dive, leaping off just before it plowed into the Dreshi woman and her two cohorts.

Leoric smirked at him, 'surely you don't expect any thanks.' he said as the Kybarite cut their bonds.

'Not from you,' Vriss replied, 'however I still have a job to fulfill.'

Shazeen leapt to her to her feet her hands brimming with magical energy. Both magi braced themselves for the attack and were perplexed when she suddenly toppled over unconscious.

Nadeshiko stood over her, expertly twirling the Dreshi magi's staff.

'Let's argue about once we've dealt with the situation here,' she said and glanced at Vriss, 'Truce?'

'Very well,' he said,' so how are we going to do that?'

All three magi returned to the grove where the roots of the Dream Forges were covered with thick grey ooze that sparkled with motes of Cald and Weave Animite. The pods were swollen, with translucent ooze flowing from ruptures in their skins. Ardriss was also present, and he glanced away from the dream creature as they entered the grove.

'Welcome to the final act,' he said as the pods exploded, each one disgorging a large creature in a shower of slime, 'I promise that it be a killer.'

They turned to look at the dream creatures as they heaved themselves from out of the ooze. Each one resembling a gorilla with long wooden tusks, a body wrapped in blades of grass, and a small tail tipped with a cluster of spines.

As one they reared up and pounded their chests, the tips of their tusks bursting into flame, and bright orange hued light shone through gaps in their skin.

Ardriss faced the dream creatures and howled over the din, 'I'm your creator, Ardriss. I name your kind Fisel, and demand that you surrender your animite.'

The creatures acquiesced, bowing before him before vanishing in flashes of light, each one leaving behind a shard of pale green animite.

Ignoring Leoric and the other he bent down to retrieve a crystal when Nadeshiko lashed out with the staff. Ardriss howled in pain, clutching his stinging hand as Leoric drove his fist into the magi's stomach.

Winded, Ardriss fell to his knees, 'this proves nothing,' his voice a hiss as he gasped for air.

A group of magi led by Shazeen approached, and Ardriss smirked as he rose to his feet, you know the rumors bout a hole in the Weave that reaches the Core?' he asked, ' well it exists and you should see what came out of the crop we grew around it.'

Shazeen sneered as she channeled energy into her ring, ' You really should see it, this things power is to die for.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Savannah Showdown**

Shazeen and her team of magi focused their energy and magined their creatures.

They resembled a large crustacean with a black armored carapace. Their limbs that were woven lengths of withered grass, two of which ended in heavy crushing pincers while the others were tipped with large hooked claws.

'Whoa, that's some nasty crabgrass you've got there,' Leoric exclaimed with a smirk.

'Joke all you want, but you won't be smiling once the Shenaera get a hold of you,' Shazeen sneered.

'No need to get crabby, jeez you're uptight,' Nadeshiko said as she magined her Herbadan, Leoric magined a trio of Lightning Braggle, and Vriss magined his Grim Shryque.

The Shenaera advanced, and the magi sent their own creatures forth. Both the Herbadan and Cragadan left a mass of shattered shell in their wake as they drummed their hooves on their opponents' backs.

'Ha! These creatures aren't so tough' Nadeshiko bragged as the defeated creatures vanished back to the dream plane.

'You would think that,' Shazeen replied as her own Shenaera seized the Herbadan in its claws, the creatures touch causing its captive to wither until it exploded into a cloud of dust.

The Shenaera then stalked Nadeshiko, its claws raised for a killing blow. However, as it came within striking distance the dream creature stopped and began to furiously scratch itself as fresh shoots of grass grew from out of its shell, which then turned bright green and its limbs lost their withered texture, becoming green and glossy.

Shazeen snarled as the ring vanished from her finger, and Nadeshiko smirked and held up her hand so that the Dreshi could see it adorning her own.

Vriss's dream creatures cut a swath through the hoard. However, the more they mowed through, many more returned.

'Time to change tactics,' he called to the others, and sent his Grim Shryque to attack the opposing magi.

The Withered Root magi were caught unprepared as the dream creature dove down from above and lashed out with its scythe-like wing blades, and its blood curdling screech, that caused many to fall to their knees, or flee in terror.

With their masters in disarray, many of the Shenaera retreated to the dream plane; those who remained to fight were dealt with swiftly.

Still standing in the remains of the grove was Ardriss; the Weaver stood staring in disbelief as his forces collapsed into chaos round him.

'This is impossible,' he gasped

'And you're a moron if you never expected something like this to happen.' Leoric said sending the braggles to herd him over to where the remainder of his group now stood, bound together back several lengths of rope supplied from Vriss's backpack.

Leoric turned to Nadeshiko, 'We'll keep an eye on these guys, how about you head back to Russet Frond and get the word out about the bandits' location.'

The Weaver nodded and took to the air on the back of her Herbadan.

'Trusting sort isn't she?' Vriss remarked.

'Not really, 'Leoric replied and holding his arm so the Kybarite could see the Binding Collar, 'if I try to make a run for it she'll have this thing shock me six ways from sundown.'

Vriss nodded; 'Funny that you should talk about running,' he said, 'as we still have our own little issue to resolve.'

Leoric sighed and glanced around. Never before had he felt so drained, and Vriss was still rearing to go. As he pondered his options, sunlight flickered off something near his foot; he picked it up and realized that it was a shard of Fisel Animite.

'How about we cut a deal,' he said, 'take the animite; it belongs to an entirely new type of dream creature. Might make a profit in the Weave and in Cald.'

Vriss considered and undreamed his creatures, and picked up a shard.

'It's a deal,' he said, 'but I am warning you that the guild may not be mollified by this offering, they could still send someone after you. Particularly if the little missies' village insists in using you as their errand boy.'

The blast of a trumpet rang out through the remains of the camp and the pair glanced skyward were the guardsmen of Russet Frond rode in upon the backs of Grass Hyren.

'You keep taking like that, you're going to have people think that there really is honor among thieves,' Leoric said, and gestured to the grove, 'look around you heard what they said, stuff like this is happening all over the place. Do you really they're going to bother with someone like me when this is going on?'

Vriss snorted; 'No, probably not,' he said and turned to leave, 'they'll be too busy trying to make a profit off of it.'


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 At The End of the Day**

The trip back to Tabi had been a quite one, with Leoric pondering over how to deal with the Thieves Guild in any possible future encounter, while Nadeshiko concentrated on mentally composing their report for Welg.

After returning to the village they had parted ways, Nadeshiko to report to the council, while Leoric headed to the nearest inn.

After paying for his drink he turned and glanced around for a seat and found one at the back of the room, and on his way one or two of the villagers raised a head from their conversations to greet him.

Leoric politely returned their greetings and hurried towards his table. His deeds may have helped thaw the chill between himself and the Weavers, but they were still wary, and he wasn't seeking company.

'It's as Jahari had once said, "Trust is difficult to regain, even if you ever had at it all," he mused drinking deeply from his cup.

'Ah, but we do trust you to help us' said a voice, and he glanced up to see Nadeshiko standing there with a drink in each hand.

'You could use another drink,' she said offering him a glass of cider which he accepted. She then sat opposite of him.

'So what excuse did Ardriss cough up to save his skin?' he asked.

'Ardriss revealed that the cultivation and use of the Dream Forges had been taught to them by a woman named Rhea, an Orothean Magi representing an organization calling themselves The Cadre,' Nadeshiko replied and took a sip of her drink, 'have you ever heard of them?'

'I know of the term,' he replied, 'however if that is the case the implications aren't good.'

'True, but apparently this organization is not militarily or politically driven,' she replied, 'in their case it seems to be uninhibited research of magic.'

'Then getting others to put their theories into practice, that's crazy.' Leoric replied.

Nadeshiko nodded, 'all that aside, you certainly impressed Welg with your performance.' she said, 'I doubt we could have stopped them without you.'

Leoric smirked, 'It sounds like he isn't the only one I made a good impression on,' he said and gestured to the Binding Collar, 'so if you wouldn't mind?'

Nadeshiko scoffed; 'don't get your hopes up. You're a miscreant, but you're our miscreant. We are going to reform you whether you like it or not.'

'I suppose weeding out the Cadre is part of this,' he replied glumly.

'Among other tasks Welg may set you,' she replied cheerfully, 'You may not know it, but Welg can be quite hard to impress.'

Leoric could not help but laugh.

'That's my impression as well,' he said and raised his glass, 'Cheers to him.'

Nadeshiko echoed his sediment and raised her glass.

' Cheers to him, and to you as well,' she said softy as their glasses clinked together.


End file.
